One of the things I love about Sacramento is its proximity to all the hot spots; San Francisco, Tahoe and all the Wine Regions. Sacramento is within an hour of four major wine regions in Northern California. We spent our weekend exploring the wineries of El Dorado during Passport Weekend. Even though we live about an hour away from the El Dorado Wine Country, we’ve never visited the wineries. Passport Weekend happens two weekends a year in April; this year Passport Weekend is 4/21 - 4/22 and 4/26 - 4/27/18. Twenty wineries open their doors to passport holders offering them wine tastings with food pairings. This post is in partnership with El Dorado Wines, all opinions and words are my own.
We had an incredible time, tasting fantastic wine, good food, live music and all the stunning views! It was so much fun to explore the wineries of El Dorado; we loved the laid-back vibe and friendliness of the wineries. I’ve created a weekend guide to help make your visit to El Dorado Wine Country memorable.
Passport Weekend El Dorado
DOWNTOWN PLACERVILLE
Before visiting the wineries, make sure to visit downtown Placerville it's a must, the main street full of historic buildings and lots of unique stores, including the oldest hardware store west of the Mason-Dixon line. There's also a ton of antique stores filled with lots of vintage goodies. Hasani and I spent part of our morning visiting the downtown area and discovered a few gems to that created a memorable experience.
COFFEE SPOTS
Centro // You all know how much I love coffee, seriously I caffeinate all day especially on getaways and vacations! Centro is on a great spot on Main Street perfect for people watching and lots of coffee options
Cuppa Coffee & More // Such a cute spot to enjoy coffee and grab a light bite to eat. I loved their Almond Iced Vanilla Latte and Lavender cookie! I’m not a huge lavender fan, but this cookie was amazing.
WHERE TO SHOP
The Bookery // I love stopping in used books stores while traveling, you just never know the gems you’ll find inside. The Bookery on Main Street was full of lots of interesting books, both new and old. I stumbled upon a Jane Austen book browsing, and of course, it came home with me.
Pop Art Gallery // Filled to the brim with great artwork at all price points, I loved all the large poster prints they carried.
Eco Logical // I loved exploring this store, its full of locally made, fairtrade and organic soaps, lotions and candles. It’s a must visit, and I should mention the store smells incredible.
Passport Weekend Day One
On our first day visiting, the El Dorado Wine Country we went to six wineries! Some we stayed longer and met a few fellow wine lovers and learned its always best to sip wine, then taste the food and then another sip of wine. We've been wine tasting a lot! However, this was our first time doing a wine tasting + food tasting.
Holly's Hill Winery
Of the six wineries, we visited on the first day we loved Skinner Vineyards and Winery, the views were incredible. The winery is a bit of a trek, but once you see the stunning views, it's worth the drive. While there we enjoyed several wine selections and delicious wood-fired pizza!
We also enjoyed visiting Holly’s Hill Vineyard, the view from the balcony was incredible, they had some yummy wine and food pairings and even complimentary lattes! Madrona Winery tucked behind one of our favorite Apple Hill Orchards.
Passport Weekend Day Two
The second day of Passport Weekend we visited four wineries all near each other, and all with different vibes. One of the standouts of the day was Lava Cap Winery, I loved the Rose and we came home with two bottles!
Hasani and I also liked Fenton Herriott Vineyards both the food at the vineyards was delicious and catered by Timmy’s Brown Bag. He also owns a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Placerville also called Timmy’s Brown Bag on Main Street, the owner was super friendly and his food so good!
As I mentioned the wineries are super laid back and friendly, I was nice to experience working vineyards and winemakers in a smaller setting and learn more about their passion for wine-making. Local friends, you still have time to explore the El Dorado Wine Country with ease this weekend! Click here to get your passes and have fun! Check out the Hashtag #PassportEldorado on Instagram for more!
When's the last time you went wine tasting?
